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Category Archives: online banking

I don’t mean calling in to the debt police, I mean running a report on your spending. Most e-banking features a search function. You can search by withdrawls or deposits. You can search by bill payee or direct debit transaction.

I searched by the name of my local grocery store where I do most of my shopping. I downloaded a report to csv (comma separated values) which I opened in excel. I added it up. A few clicks later, I’m pleased to report that my family of four grocery expense for the first six weeks of 2013 is about half the reported average for Canadian families – about $200/person per month would be $1200 to February 15 – we spent $646. True, I did make better use of what was already in the pantry, bought mostly sale items and chose meals that have good leftover potential. But it paid off. Granted, it’s not cash money sitting in my account – but it’s money I didn’t spend and that too is a great way to defy your debt.